In December, the City of Detroit notified the first 33 successful applicants for adult-use marijuana retail licenses that they had been approved.
Michigan-based Cloud Cannabis began adult-use cannabis sales on Friday at its Detroit location, becoming one of the first dispensaries to do so in the city.
“Today marks the beginning of an exciting new period for both Cloud and the city of Detroit,” said Jacob Saboo, Co-Founder & Head of Retail at Cloud Cannabis. “We are proud to bring our premier retail experience to the city’s recreational customers, while sharing meaningful insights in cannabis education and a first-class portfolio of products with the local community. With big things ahead for Cloud in 2023, we couldn’t think of a better way to kick off the new year.”
Detroit Delays
While Michigan started adult-use sales in December 2019, municipalities had the right to opt-out. The college town of Ann Arbor embraced recreational cannabis with enthusiasm, while Detroit found itself mired in lawsuits that delayed a rollout.
“Our goal from the day voters approved the sale of adult use marijuana was to make sure we had a city ordinance and a process in place that provides fair and equitable access to these licenses and the courts have affirmed that we’ve done just that,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “Council President Pro-Tem Tate, and our Department of Civil Right, Inclusion & Opportunity and Law Department deserve a great deal of credit for making this historic day possible. The City’s ability to accept applications was delayed in July after two separate lawsuits were filed following City Council approval of the modified adult-use marijuana licensing ordinance in April, and a judge temporarily halted the process before reversing course and upholding the City’s ordinance.”
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Council President Pro-Tem James Tate said, “Three months ago, a Wayne County Circuit Court judge declared our ordinance “unambiguous” and “a fair licensing process”. Despite clear rulings issued by the courts, various plaintiffs continue their frivolous attempts to dominate the adult-use cannabis industry in the city in an effort to leave Detroiters and other Social Equity applicants out of the market.” Judge Friedman ruled against the Temporary Restraining Order that would have prevented Detroit from moving forward with its current Adult-Use Marijuana Ordinance.
Ringing Up Sales
In addition to Cloud Cannabis, House of Dank also fired up sales in the Motor City this week. The company has two locations, one on 8 Mile and the other on Fort St.
“Going recreational in Detroit is a huge milestone for us,” Crystal Jamo, House of Dank’s general manager, told the Detroit Free Press. “Just because we’ve been waiting for it for so long that, like, ‘Pinch me, is it real?’”
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Cloud Cannabis is located at 16001 Mack Ave. and situated on the border of Detroit Grosse Pointe, Cloud’s Detroit dispensary offers flower, pre-roll, concentrate, and vape products from top-tier Michigan brands including Mitten Extracts, Wonderbrett, Stiiizy, Pressure Pack, Backpack Boyz, CREAM, Northcoast, and more. The company said a grand opening celebration event will come at a later date.
First 33
In December, the City of Detroit notified the first 33 successful applicants for adult-use marijuana retail licenses that they had been approved. The City’s Office of Marijuana Ventures & Entrepreneurship determined the following 13 non-equity applicants, and 20 equity applicants met all the necessary criteria to be awarded a license:
This article originally appeared on Green Market Report and has been reposted with permission.
